GREEN BAY – The filmmakers behind “The 60 Yard Line” don’t just want the people of Green Bay to laugh along to the Packers-themed romantic comedy this weekend, they want them to know they’re the reason it’s even in theaters at all.

“Our film has become a movement that literally has started here,” said Ryan Churchill, the Beloit native who co-wrote and co-produced it with fellow Los Angeles actor Nick Greco. “This is unprecedented what we’re doing here.”

A low-budget, indie project that started nearly three years ago with a $105,000 crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo.com for start-up costs and an ambitious cast wish list that once included Olivia Munn and Justin Timberlake, “The 60” has racked up plenty of yardage of its own on its journey from filming in Green Bay during the 2015 Packers season to landing in theaters last week.

The hope all along was that “The 60” would somehow play in Green Bay, but for it to be in 50-plus cities is the equivalent of a cinematic Hail Mary touchdown pass. The film’s highest concentration of theaters is, not surprisingly, across Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest, including Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska. There are also scattered theaters as far away as Rochester, N.Y.; Georgetown, S.C.; and Parma, Idaho.

Many of the theaters are owned by Marcus Theatres, the Milwaukee-based theater chain that operates Bay Park Cinema in Ashwaubenon and Green Bay East Cinema. Churchill made frequent requests during the film’s post-production for Packers fans and supporters of the film to call their local theaters asking for the movie to be played there. It’s a move that helped generate word-of-mouth buzz across the state and get the film on the radar of theater chains.

When “The 60” made its world premiere in April at the Wisconsin Film Festival in Madison with a pair of sold-out screenings, Marcus had two representatives in attendance. They went back to brokers at the chain and said, “Hey, this thing went crazy,” Churchill said.

Once Marcus agreed to pick it up, particularly beyond just Green Bay and Appleton, other chains, such as Mann Theatres and CEC Theatres, also took interest.

“We kind of think of it as we didn’t do this. We just made the movie. It’s the people of Green Bay that are doing this,” Churchill said. “You the fans and you the audience and the consumer are really the ones that decide what you get to see. And so this is an example of that. The people of Green Bay have spoken. They were contacting Marcus Theatres. They were getting tons of phone calls.”

Often times, small indie films that don’t have the benefit of studio backing do something called four-walling as a way to get into theaters. It’s a process in which filmmakers pay to rent a theater (perhaps $800 a night, Churchill said) in order for the film to be shown. They keep all of their own ticket sales.

In the case of commercial films, the movie is sold to a studio like Paramount Pictures or 20th Century Fox, which then connects directly to theater chains and provides the marketing campaign. The studio gets a substantial cut of the box office take, plus additional money for expenses, with the remainder going to the filmmakers.

“The 60” found a way to get the benefits of studio distribution without a studio.

“The theater chains have come directly to us. They’re giving us all two-week runs, just like a normal movie. They’re treating us just like a blockbuster film,” Churchill said. “They give us a two-week run minimum ... and then from there, if the movie is doing well, they’ll continue to play it for roughly up to six weeks, possibly out to even 60 days total.”

It’s not unlike how Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh is opting to make movies now, albeit on a larger level, Greco said. He launched “Logan Lucky” this summer with his own company; no major studio help. Other indie movies like the romantic comedy “The Big Sick” are finding similar success.

“To get on our soapbox, basically there are roughly 15 guys in Hollywood who decide what you see in theaters. .... The way they think, they don’t think this movie deserves to be in theaters, and we proved them wrong,” Churchill said.

“We have cut them out of it completely. They’ve cut themselves out of it. So we really have given ourselves a much better chance of getting a bigger percentage of what the movie actually does make, so it goes back into the pockets of filmmakers.

“Not just the suits in Hollywood,” Greco said.

Nice Greco, left, and Ryan Churchill co-wrote, co-produced and co-star in "The 60 Yard Line." Churchill calls it a Wisconsin postcard movie. "'The 60 Yard Line' is the state, and we brought it to the theaters and showed it's meant to have a big audience."(Photo: Courtesy of "The 60 Yard Line")

“The 60” signed on with distributor Gravitas Ventures for the film’s iTunes, DVD (due out late this year) and TV rights. That in itself is a feat. Seventy-five percent of independent films never get a distributor, Churchill said.

For now, the focus is getting the film in front of as many people as possible in theaters. While Churchill and Greco admit there’s some nerves about what the opening-weekend box office numbers will bring on Monday morning, they’re determined to keep “The 60” momentum going.

“Our plan of attack always has been that this is the most important city, Green Bay ... We want it to be well known and successful and literally every single person in Green Bay to see it. That’s always been the goal,” Churchill said.

“From there, then we go out to Appleton, then Madison, Milwaukee. We call this the epicenter and then have it go out from there and see how big we can make it get. And it’s getting there. We’re already in 54 theaters in 54 cities. If you can get in five theaters with an indie film, you’re way ahead of the game. So the fact that we have 50 is very fortunate. Mind-blowing.”

It’s a testament to the fans that the film crossed the goal line the way it has. Support for the project from the beginning has been amazing, Greco said.

“I’m so proud,” Churchill said. “This is my home state, and I always know we always have each other’s backs. We just proved it again.”

Hey, party at The 60!

The cast and crew of “The 60 Yard Line” is hosting a VIP tailgate from noon until Seahawks-Packers game time Sunday at the house, known as The 60, at the corner of Stadium Drive and Oneida Street used for filming in the movie. There will be food, drink, music, prizes and photo opportunities. To sign up, visit 60yardline.com/tailgatetour.

A sampling of what moviegoers had to say about "The 60":

"We thought it was fun. It was very fun. It was creative. The one liners got ya."

— Kathy Dunn, Green Bay

"I thought it was amazing. Being from Green Bay and getting the little color commentary things they had going, I thought was amazing. The cow. I loved the cow."

— Lisa Kolocheski, De Pere

"Loved it. Loved it. It was just fun to watch. We enjoyed it."

— John and Nancy Selinsky, Ashwaubenon, who owned the house in the film at the corner of Oneida Street and Stadium Drive from 1976 to 1983.

"We all loved it. We had a group of 10. We're not so sure how it would do in Minnesota or Utah or Florida, but we're pretty sure anybody in Green Bay or Wisconsin is going to love it."

— Lori Krohn-Johnson, Green Bay

"It thought it was really good. I thought it was entertaining, funny. It had a lot of hometown feel to it."

— Nancy Strong, Green Bay

"Our daughter was one of the extras in the movie, and she passed away, so this is very special to us. It's a great movie about Packers fans, but then it's extra special to us, because she's in there. ... I think any football team has their fanatics like the Packers — I don't know if they're as good as the Packers — but I just think it's a special film."

— Barb Wickman of Bonduel, whose daughter, Jenny Wickman-Hacker was determined to be in the film so her children would have that memory of her.. She died from colon cancer months after filming. "The 60" is dedicated in her memory during the end credits.